Emerald cut solitaire on a budget..... any suggestions?

[happygolucky851]

Hey yall!

I have been an avid reader on PS and I absolutely love how everyone is so supportive and helpful! I''m hoping yall can help me. My BF told me that his budget is about 4k. what I''m wanting is a plain emerald cut solitaire in white gold with a half eternity wedding band in white gold as well. I know emerald cut''s are more expensive because they need to a be higher quality for the diamond to be eye clean and better color for it not to look yellowish. Sooo, what I''m wanting to know is.... is it possible to get an eye clean, non yellow looking emerald cut diamond that is as close to 1 carat as the budget will allow, and still have some room for the wedding band?

From my research I haven''t found much unless I''m looking at the wrong places. I absolutely LOVE the elegance of the emerald cut! It makes me drool seeing everyones beautiful emerald cuts! Everyone''s are so HUGE though, it makes me wonder what an emerald cut solitaire between .80 carats to 1.0-ish carats would look like on a size 5 1/2 finger. It may sound selfish but I want as big a diamond as the budget will allow and it makes me nervous to think that when I do get an e-ring, it will look so tiny especially since they don''t size up quite like the RB''s do. anyway, after all my babbling.... if anyone can help me, show me pictures, send links, or give me any suggestions I would REALLY REALLY appreciate you!!! Thanks for the time!!!

Leslie

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome!

I would suggest contacting Jon at www.goodoldgold.com or www.whiteflash.com for starters, and see what they can come up with for you.

EC's are tricky to evaluate by the numbers, so a vendor who has in house stones that has the cut analysis done, is the best way to purchase. Also they can advise you with the diamond in hand as to whether it is eyeclean or not. It may be best to look at VS clarity and above ( GIA) and depending on your colour preferences, perhaps F G or H may be a good middleground. I do think you may be best putting your budget into the main EC diamond, it may be challenging to fit in the main ring and a half eternity for 4k.

I also think the size you mention will look fine on your finger, team it with a thin solitaire band will help the diamond pop.

 

[kcgunesq]

I have a couple of suggestions that may not be popular, but I intend them in the kindest spirit.

1. Personally, I''d probably forget getting any type of eternity band, even a semi. It will simply eat up too much of your budget. While you can get a very basic eternity or semi eternity for under $1,000, the size and/or quality of diamonds is likely to be very poor. But even at $1,000, you are using up way too much of the budget, IMHO, on the wedding band at the expense of the e-ring stone.

2. While it is without doubt that GOG and WF are excellent sources for 1A quality stones and have excellent customer service, I suspect that to get a 1A or 1B quality stone (and in ECs they can be virtually non-existent at any point in time), you are going to pay such a premium that you will be forced to an unacceptable compromise regarding weight, color and clarity. Since I suspect you are probably better off looking at an EC in the 2A or 2B range, I believe you might find significant cost savings at some of the bigger drop shippers. The downside is that you may have less reassurance that the diamond you order will be the one you want. So you will need to be prepared to get to an independent appraiser for advice as soon as you receive your diamond/ring. But as long as you are willing to do the extra work on your end and are prepared to reject a stone/ring you have already received, the extra cost savings may be just enough to get you the diamond you really want.

What I would probably do is search some of the larger online vendors and find some stones you like. Call GOG and find out if they are willing to order them in to evaluate. If so, find out how close they can get to the price that you''ve already found. If they are willing to order the stone(s) and can get within a couple hundred dollars, I''d go that route without hesitation. You will get the best of both worlds, great service and pre-screening of potential choices and a good price since they didn''t have to carry the diamond in their inventory.

Personally, I''d probably keep your search limited to ECs that are at least G-VS1, aiming for an F-VVS2 and standing ready to consider a recommended HVS2. I''ve attached a photo showing a couple of choices that I think are probably worth considering. Although some here will tell you that a 70% table is way too big, I believe it is realistically, quite acceptable for someone who prefers an elegant EC look to the super-sparkly RB look. I wouldn''t go over 70% buy much if at all, though, except for a diamond that has been hand picked for excellence (and GOG probably has some in this category).

You should be able to find a diamond you like for under $3,500 and a basic plat solitaire band for $600-$700, resulting in a very nice ring!

Take everything above with a grain of salt. I love ECs and have a slightly different philosophy than most her regarding what constitutes a good EC for most people (i.e., non-Pscoper die-hards).

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/30/2008 5:48:52 AM
Author: Lorelei
Welcome!


I would suggest contacting Jon at www.goodoldgold.com or www.whiteflash.com for starters, and see what they can come up with for you.


EC''s are tricky to evaluate by the numbers, so a vendor who has in house stones that has the cut analysis done, is the best way to purchase. Also they can advise you with the diamond in hand as to whether it is eyeclean or not. It may be best to look at VS clarity and above ( GIA) and depending on your colour preferences, perhaps F G or H may be a good middleground. I do think you may be best putting your budget into the main EC diamond, it may be challenging to fit in the main ring and a half eternity for 4k.


I also think the size you mention will look fine on your finger, team it with a thin solitaire band will help the diamond pop.

I agree with Lorelei...Jon can help you balance your budget with your desires so that you can get a diamond that has the factors that matter most to YOU.

 

[happygolucky851]

thank yall so much for your input! it really helps! My only thing is... i dont quite understand your terminology KC. im not very diamond term savvy yet! i dont know what you mean by 1a and 1b and such. and another thing, i really like white gold which will cut the cost off of the price of the bands. and lorelei, i absolutely agree with you on the thin band! i love the thin bands cause they make the diamond look that much bigger on your finger, in most cases!

another concern of mine is online vendors. that makes me nervous. ultimately it is up to my BF where he goes and such and i think he will go to a local vendor here in college station or around houston where im from. so if anyone has suggestions on great places to go in these two cities im all ears!

i also have another question... i''ve heard it could be cheaper to get a custom made ring because you wont have to pay premiums to the brand name vendors. but the thing is, i dont care about brand name, i like what i like and that is all.

so all in all, i need help so i can give my boyfriend a little guidance before he goes on the big hunt!

thank you ladies soo much!! yall are amazing! if any of you have pictures of your EC i would LOVE to see them!!

thanks again!!

 

[JulieN]

Whiteflash is in Houston.

Stock is usually cheaper than custom. Good custom settings can be very expensive. Also, as you are getting a plain band, i'd just get the basic ~$200 one.

 

[happygolucky851]

thank you thank you!!!

i have yet another question for you! on my 4k- or so budget, how much of it should go towards the diamond since i want as big a diamond as possible considering my budget. and are online vendors better than going to local vendors personally?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/3/2008 11:56:41 AM
Author: happygolucky851
thank you thank you!!!

i have yet another question for you! on my 4k- or so budget, how much of it should go towards the diamond since i want as big a diamond as possible considering my budget. and are online vendors better than going to local vendors personally?

I would use as much of the budget as I could towards the diamond, and just have a simple setting for now, have the diamond set by the vendor who sells it. Then later when finances permit, you can get a more expensive setting.

 

[kcgunesq]

1A and 1B refer to AGA's old cut score scale. Here for more information. There just never seems to be that many 1A and 1B ECs, and if you start applying other criteria, like color, clarity, floro, lenght/width, etc., it can be very difficult to find the right stone. At least this is what I've found. Perhaps others have had an easier time.

White gold is fine and will definitely save you some money, but perhaps not as much as you think in a very basic setting. Plat has a heft about it that is much appreciated by some. You can definitely get a nice, basic plat setting for $600-700. That said, if you decided you would rather take the extra $300-400 and put it towards the stone, I hardly think that is a mistake. Its just a matter of priority. I definitely would NOT spend the money to buy a big, ornate setting.

 

[happygolucky851]

lorelei,

i found a few diamonds that are in my price range by james allen, but i cannot seem to find a shank and setting that i like by james allen. you told me that i need to get the diamond set by the vendor who sold me the diamond. what would i do in that situation? i would LOVE to have a plain THIN band about 1.8-2.0 mm in WG. thats it. i cannot seem to find one that i like on james allen. all the considerations i need to take are sooo confusing!! i cant even imagine how my bf will feel when he starts getting into serious research!

i also would like to find a reasonable WG wedding band that is a thin channel set band at least 1.2 eternity to 3/4 eternity that is also at the most 2.0 mm. i cannot find one that is exactly what i want but a reasonable price maybe in the $500-800 range. to give you an idea of what i like, take a look at the ritani endless love wedding band. i absolutely LOVE IT, i love how thin, dainty and elegant they are!!! i think it would go perfectly with an EC solitaire. but ritani is way too pricey for me!! heres what it looks like for any who dont know.

http://ritani.com/products/view/465/in_collection/3


does anyone have any suggestions?!

thanks for the help in advance!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/4/2008 11:08:03 AM
Author: happygolucky851
lorelei,

i found a few diamonds that are in my price range by james allen, but i cannot seem to find a shank and setting that i like by james allen. you told me that i need to get the diamond set by the vendor who sold me the diamond. what would i do in that situation? i would LOVE to have a plain THIN band about 1.8-2.0 mm in WG. thats it. i cannot seem to find one that i like on james allen. all the considerations i need to take are sooo confusing!! i cant even imagine how my bf will feel when he starts getting into serious research!

i also would like to find a reasonable WG wedding band that is a thin channel set band at least 1.2 eternity to 3/4 eternity that is also at the most 2.0 mm. i cannot find one that is exactly what i want but a reasonable price maybe in the $500-800 range. to give you an idea of what i like, take a look at the ritani endless love wedding band. i absolutely LOVE IT, i love how thin, dainty and elegant they are!!! i think it would go perfectly with an EC solitaire. but ritani is way too pricey for me!! heres what it looks like for any who dont know.

http://ritani.com/products/view/465/in_collection/3


does anyone have any suggestions?!

thanks for the help in advance!

The reason I mentioned getting the vendor to set the diamond who sold it, is because normally they will take responsibility for the stone if anything happens. I would ask JA what they can do for you, they might be able to do the setting you want on request or modify one, if it isn''t a stock setting, worth a try!

 

[Sarahinwonderland]

Yeah well you are right. I would definitely buy the diamond online because instead of paying 10,000 you will only pay 5,000.

 

[ponderer]

Happy,

DO NOT let your BF buy in College Station! It is a tightly controlled market with incredibly inflated prices. And that goes for all wedding related stuff, not just rings.

Make an appointment with Whiteflash, drive the 2 hours, and save yourself lots of money.

Whoop!

 

[ponderer]

http://www.whiteflash.com/emerald/Emerald-cut-diamond-1033875.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/emerald/Emerald-cut-diamond-727912.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/emerald/Emerald-cut-diamond-1022966.htm

Just a few I found with a quick search.

I would also recommend going with an inexpensive setting and maximizing the diamond. I think you can get a simple wg solitaire for around $200. They wont be on the website, you have to ask.

I cant recommend WF enough to you. They made my last buying experience so easy.

TAMU class ''03

 

[happygolucky851]

thank y''all so much! you''re so helpful!!

i''m sure i will be having a ton more questions for y''all before we seriously start searching and what not. but thank you so much. i am trying to educate myself as much as possible now so i know what to look for!

thanks for all the help!

Ponderer, its nice to know there are aggies on here! class of ''09! WHOOP!!!

 

[kcgunesq]

Date: 6/4/2008 7:24:46 PM
Author: ponderer
http://www.whiteflash.com/emerald/Emerald-cut-diamond-1033875.htm

Just as an FYI to the OP, I compared this exact diamond (GIA 16375045) at a couple of other sites.

Vendor......cash price.........wire price

Adiamor ......3629........... 3574
Union .........3738............3629
Whiteflash......... 3667 ......


I don't know if WF's price is cash or wire. But its obvious that they are competitive. If you are paying any premium for their help and service, its not much.